Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany announced that Jennifer Heppel has been hired as the Associate Commissioner - Governance. Heppel will work closely with conference presidents, chancellors, faculty and administrators in the development of both conference and national policies. She will assume her new role at the conference office on May 3.

Heppel returns to the Big Ten after working at the conference office from 1998-2005 in the compliance department. Heppel has served as the Associate Athletics Director for Administration at Georgetown University since 2005. Prior to working at Georgetown, she worked at the Big Ten for seven years, including the last four years as the Associate Commissioner for Compliance and Enforcement. Heppel also worked at the NCAA from 1996-98 and the University of Hartford from 1994-96. She earned her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in 1990 before graduating with a Master of Business Administration degree from Robert Morris University in 1993.